Seattle's Russell Wilson (3), heading for a score against Buffalo last Sunday, is one of four NFL quarterbacks to run for at least 375 yards this season.

Seattle's Russell Wilson (3), heading for a score against Buffalo last Sunday, is one of four NFL quarterbacks to run for at least 375 yards this season.

Photo: Nathan Denette, Associated Press

Kaepernick, Seattle rookie share traits

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He's a young, mobile, big-armed quarterback with a baseball background and ties to Wisconsin.

Since his head coach bucked convention this season by anointing him a starter over a higher-paid and seemingly entrenched veteran, he has justified the decision by compiling an impressive resume that includes more than 375 rushing yards and a win over New England's Tom Brady that he capped with a go-ahead, fourth-quarter pass.

Clearly, Seattle rookie Russell Wilson and San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick have striking similarities as they meet as starters for the first time in their fledgling careers Sunday night in Seattle.

It's not a perfect match: Most notably, the 6-foot-4 Kaepernick, a Wisconsin native, towers five inches above the third-round pick from the University of Wisconsin.

However, Seattle's Pete Carroll, a head coach with a defensive bent, notes that their ability to stretch the field with their arms and flee the pocket with their feet poses similar headaches.

Wilson ranks ninth in the NFL in yards per attempt (7.6) and has established a franchise record for rushing yards by a quarterback (402). Kaepernick would rank first in yards per attempt (8.4) if he had enough passes to qualify, and he has two 50-yard runs, the longest by a quarterback in franchise history.

Similarity not physical

"They couldn't be more different physically, but their ability to affect the game definitely is similar," Carroll said. "Both of them can make all the throws and both of them have a real knack for getting out (of the pocket) and when they do, they're dangerous. Big plays. ... Both guys bring an element of being able to read the option and do what they want to do there."

In some ways, Sunday night's meeting between two fleet-footed quarterbacks with beyond-their-years pocket poise is a glimpse into the NFL's future.

A collegiate effect

Young, multidimensional quarterbacks adept at running the read-option - long viewed as a scheme best suited for the college level - are increasingly dotting the league's landscape. The top three teams in rushing yards per games - Washington (164.8), San Francisco (162.9) and Seattle (160.7) - have quarterbacks running some read-option plays.

Kaepernick, Wilson, Redskins rookie Robert Griffin III and the Panthers' Cam Newton each have at least 375 rushing yards this season, marking the first time four quarterbacks have reached that figure since 2002. Quarterbacks have rushed for more than 375 yards seven times the past two seasons. From 2003 to '10, there were eight such seasons.

Despite the risk of injury, teams are increasingly making full use of their franchise signal-caller's skill set. Wilson, Kaepernick and Griffin are three of the five quarterbacks in NCAA FBS history to rush for more than 1,000 career yards and throw for more than 5,000.

"I think part of it is the NFL is a byproduct of what the colleges feed us," 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. "The colleges are our minor leagues, and that's what the colleges are feeding us now. So, when you get a quarterback that has that ability, it behooves you to maybe have that as part of your offense."

The minor-league reference is apt, given the baseball backgrounds of Kaepernick and Wilson. Kaepernick, a pitcher, was a 43rd-round pick of the Cubs in 2009. Wilson, a second baseman, was a fourth-round pick of the Rockies in 2010.

Two years later, the 5-foot-11 Wilson dropped to the third round of the NFL draft because of concerns about his height. But he quickly allayed whatever fears Seattle might have harbored by dazzling during offseason workouts and training camp. In fact, Wilson, who will earn a base salary of $390,000 this season, beat out presumptive starter Matt Flynn, 27, who signed a three-year, $19.5 million deal in March.

13-6 loss a low point

In a 13-6 loss to the 49ers on Oct. 18, Wilson had season lows in passer rating (38.7) and completion percentage (39.1) and didn't throw a touchdown pass, one of only two times that has happened in 14 starts. In the past two months, however, Wilson has blossomed as the Seahawks have removed his training wheels.

Since the Week 7 loss at San Francisco, Wilson has thrown 13 touchdown passes and two interceptions, posted a 111.3 rating and become the first rookie in NFL history to have three straight games with a rating of at least 125.0. The Seahawks, who had two 50-point games in their first 36 seasons, have scored 50 or more the past two weeks in wins over the Cardinals (58-0) and Bills (50-17). In last week's win over Buffalo, Wilson became the third quarterback in the past 10 years with three rushing touchdowns in a game.

"We really started out with the idea of not going too far, too fast," Carroll said. "We didn't want to overexpose him and try too hard. We were excited about him coming out of camp and the preseason. And then we really did draw back. ... At this time, we're really playing football the way we like to play it. There's still stuff that he's going to grow into, but he's able to do everything we can think of if we don't overdo it."

Long hours

Said Wilson: "I like a lot on my plate. I believe I'm very intelligent. I can learn a lot. I'm going to be here early and leave late. This is what I love to do."

In that respect, Wilson, again, is strikingly similar to Kaepernick, a noted football junkie whose 6 a.m. workouts aren't scuttled when the 49ers arrive in the wee hours after cross-country road games.

Kaepernick's latest road test will come against a quarterback who could serve as his twice-a-year-rival for the decade. But at least one of the quarterbacks of the future isn't looking beyond the next game.

49ers at Seahawks

5:20 p.m., Channel: 11 Channel: 3 Channel: 8 (680, 107.7)

Spotlight on: OLB Aldon Smith. How much is Smith dependent on his partner in stunts, Justin Smith, to wreak havoc in opposing backfields? With Justin Smith questionable, we could find out Sunday night. Aldon Smith went sack-less and the defense allowed a whopping 407 yards, 26 first downs and 31 points with Justin Smith sidelined for the majority of the final two quarters of last week's win over the Patriots. Aldon Smith will square off Sunday against Seattle left tackle Russell Okung, who didn't allow a sack, quarterback hit or quarterback hurry in the teams' first meeting in October. Smith had a sack in that game, but it didn't come against the No. 6 pick in the 2010 draft. Smith is three sacks away from tying the NFL's single-season record. Thanks, in part, to quarterback Russell Wilson's elusiveness, the Seahawks have allowed 26 sacks, tied for the eighth-fewest in the NFL.

The Big 3

-- Quarterbacks have a 50.2 rating when throwing in the direction of Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman, the third-lowest figure in the NFL among players who have defended at least 50 passes. Quarterbacks have completed 38 of 77 passes for 526 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions when throwing into Sherman's coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. Sherman's six interceptions are tied for fourth-most in the league.

-- Tight end Delanie Walker lost a fumble last week against the Patriots and dropped a potential game-winning TD in a Week 13 loss at St. Louis, miscues that have overshadowed some of his recent production. In Colin Kaepernick's five starts, he has a 145.1 rating when targeting Walker, who has caught eight of 11 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. Walker has eight targets in the past four games, one fewer than Vernon Davis.

-- The 19 points scored in San Francisco's 13-6 win over Seattle on Oct. 18 were the fewest in their 27-game series history. Could they challenge that mark Sunday? The 49ers allow the fewest points in the league (15.57 per game), and the Seahawks rank second (15.64).

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